Malaysia has confirmed plans to build a USD 8.5 billion mega port aimed at increasing handling capacity for both container and conventional cargo at the main shipping hub of Port Klang. The new port will be located on Carey Island, and is intended to capture future growth of international trade, competing with regional ports that are currently expanding, such as those in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Additional capacity is also needed to meet domestic demand from expanding industrial hubs in Selangor and neighboring states.
The mega port in Carey Island will be operated by the private sector; unlike Malaysia’s major airports, most of the country’s seaports are privately operated. The Carey Island port will handle 36 million shipping containers, known as twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a year. In 2022, Port Klang handled around 13.2 million TEUs. The new port’s annual capacity for conventional cargo will be around 40 million tons, compared with 27 million tons in Port Klang currently. In comparison, the Port of Singapore can handle up to 37.3 million TEUs a year, and Johor’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas has an annual capacity of 10.5 million TEUs.
(Sources: Asia News Network; The Straits Times)
